I built mine up using a Dolan PreCursa frame, some cheap stuff from On-One and bits from the parts bin. It makes an amazing bike, front brake only though! 🙂

Looks like Planet X have stopped doing that wheelset, shame!

Carbon frameset from aliexpress and Mavic Elippse wheels?

Average 531 frame is around 4lb. There will be lighter alu frames on eBay for similar money.

std aluminium road wheels come in at 1400g.

Really? Standard? At what price? I built up 1550gm wheels about as cheaply as I could, £250 odd iirc.

https://www.cycledivision.co.uk/products/wheels/cero-ar30-alloy-clincher-wheelset

although mine are from rose. 24/28 spokes, Kinlin rims and rebranded novatec. Spokesman does some similar. By std I mean not Zipp money.

Some good suggestions on here. I think you’ve convinced me to go down the old bike route. That is part of the fun. Contacted a few people who responded to this stealth wanted add with some stealth for sale adds!

Aracer, I’m interested. Needs to be a 23″ and as I’ve said to someone wlse. Postage is often the killer as most bargain bikes on ebay appear because postage is more than the bike is worth.

What’s the best way to get hold of you?

5.4kg. 1050g wheels.

There’s a lot of nonsense on this thread.

That wasn’t £300 though, was it 😉

And this is 8 kilos and steel.

Wheels were £250, You can pick up a used Paddy Wagon for about £150. Carbon fork was another £100.

You need to get your head out of what you think is ideal, and think about what someone with £300 can get for their money.

I was just working with the requirements – £300 max and light (and reference to wheelsets of 1400g sound closer to my definition of light than yours).
Those requirements seem to have changed and it also seems to have been accepted you can’t get light for £300 (which is fine as you won’t actually notice it much anyway)

If it was my £300 I would buy a complete used bike as buying components and building will always be more expensive. You could get a half decent used bike for £300 but as I said before that is not exactly a project so understand the fun is in building it up.

aracer AT mail DOT com

As you suggest postage is the killer, I’m in Worester if that’s any use, though might be able to arrange hand to hand delivery

With horizontal dropouts? The point of a 531 is that they come from an era when that was standard. Of course there are other ways to tension the chain, but on a cheap build that’s by far the easiest.

I know it was mentioned in the OP, but I’m also less than convinced of the importance of weight on such a bike – provided it isn’t a complete tank, which 10kg isn’t. I hate myself for doing this given how cynical I normally am, but I’d think the typical rider would appreciate the feel of a steel frame. I’m certainly happy with the weight of mine for what is a bit of a hack bike (in theory it’s my pub bike).

but I’d think the typical rider would appreciate the feel of a steel frame

Tend to agree, combined with the likely more relaxed angles (when comparing to an Alu track frame)

The most comfortable frameset I had was a restored 1971 Mercian track in 531, the least comfortable a Colnago Dream Pista.

This is my most ridden fixed wheel bike – it’s an utter shit heap but it’s still fun to ride. Not everyone gets on with fixed, OP should bosh together a cheap conversion to try.

You’ll note I refrained from writing anything about comfort 😈

“I was just working with the requirements – £300 max and light…Those requirements seem to have changed “

No, I think most of us understood them from the beginning:

Looking at £300 max all in but would wait around/look for second hand things.

😀

“Some good suggestions on here. I think you’ve convinced me to go down the old bike route. That is part of the fun.”

Anyway. Good luck with your build, OP. MAkes me think of what’s possible for £300. How light* could you get it?

*By ‘light’ I mean what most of us would consider light. I suspect that 5.4kg bike above might have cost a little over the stated budget. 😉

upsid3down; Islington Green?

You’ll note I refrained from writing anything about comfort

Yes, I tend to put feeling differences in frame materials in the “princess and the pea” category but there is definitely something less comfortable about riding about an alu track frame (combination of BB height, geometry and frame material maybe)
As I never ride for more than 2 hours I just put up with it but can understand why some may not want to.

Islington Green?

Yes

The Fuji tack bike above for £279, and if you shop at Tesco, swap £1 Tesco for £2 Evans vouchers, then it’s £140?

https://www.evanscycles.com/fuji-track-2016-track-bike-EV244570

https://secure.tesco.com/clubcard/boost/evans-cycles/UK-004166.prd

“Yes”

I’ll have to look out for a very tall person on a fixie, next time I’m round that way. 😀

I’d definitely recommend steel for road fixed. The frame is noticeably less rigid than my alloy and carbon bikes. You spend a lot of time out of the saddle (if you ride a big gear), and like a SS mtb, the flex does help with comfort. As for geometry; 73 degrees parallel suits my road bike. My steel track bike is a steep 74.5 and this is not a nice bike for the road. Some of the Genesis bikes have slacker geometry, and whilst relaxing, doesn’t give that really nice road bike handling.

An old 531 frame (not 501) would be a good choice, but the bearings may all be rubbish, and you might need new tools to fix and replace. Watch for a siezed seatpost too. The Fuji is a good place to start, but off the peg they are heavy. I’d still look for a used Paddy Wagon. There’s a 2015 56cm on the bay for £185 at the moment. A new set of wheels, or just a back wheel would get you within budget.

Wheels are ALWAYS the best upgrade here, for some reason, cheap, heavy large flange, pseudo track wheels are the norm. A proper set of road wheels with a fixed hub is a much nicer prospect. Just commuted 15 miles on mine on 25c Vittoria Paves, just a lovely ride, regardless of whether fixed. It always makes me smile.

I do miss my simple steel Fuji Track, but my Langster SF, which i bought as a frameset and built for winter training in the Surrey Hills, is a much more pleasant ride. The Planet X wheels aren’t that light, but the stiff cranks and proper cockpit (i.e. road bars and Campy hoods) make it a great alternative road bike.

TiRed – Member
…An old 531 frame (not 501) would be a good choice..

A good one is a great bike to cover the miles on. Just one snag – the rear stays may be more flexible than the Fuji. This may not be a problem if you are running without a rear brake, but on tough climbs the flex can mean your rims rub against the brakes. It’s why I prefer my Fuji to my Nervex Pro lugged lightweight for SS use.

I have also had a couple of Giant Bowerys. They had a very stiff backend, so the power delivery was instant and therefore enjoyable. I had to leave them in Oz unfortunately, but I found them a bit uncomfortable once the mileage was getting up to the century.

For cheap and versatile it’s also hard to beat a Pompino – good stays, and handles nicely offroad as well. These are what I class as Apocalypse bikes – what you pick if you had to have only one bike and it had to last without access to a workshop. I reckon they deserve a design award.

Has anyone an opinion on the Revolution Cross 1.0 from Edinburgh Cycles? Looks a bargain.